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Adams was named in honor of John Adams, one of the first settlers in the Nehamah Valley, in 1857. In the 1870's John Adams offered the Atchinson and Northern Railway Company interest in all the lots of the town if they agreed that no saloon should be permitted to do business in the town of Adams. Adams, to this day, has never had any establishment that sells alcoholic beverages.
Barneston is located on the site of the former Otoe-Missiouria Indian Reservation. The reservation was located here from 1855-1882 when the
Oto Nation moved to Oklahoma and the land was sold to settlers. Frances Barnes and his half-blood Oto wife Mary Jane, were merchants and farmer on the reservation since 1859, remained and the land was developed into a townsite. Although not on its original site, the Indian Mission School still stands in the village.
Beatrice, the county seat of Gage County was founded at the ford of the DeRoin Trail over the Big Blue River in 1857 by a group of pioneers from St. Louis, Missouri. City was named in honor of the eldest daughter of Judge J.F. Kinney, first president of the Nebraska Association.
Blue Springs, was named for the natural springs along the Big Blue River. Prior to becoming a town this land was part of the Otoe and Pawnee hunting grounds. The cabin in Blue Springs City Park was build in 1855 along the banks of the Blue Blue Rivber by Rev. J. H. Johnson for his family of six. Rev. Johnson preached to the Indians living on the reservation in southern Gage County. His eight year old son, who drowned in the Big Blue River, was the first white death recorded in Gage County. The Blue Springs Cemetery where he is buried is the oldest recorded cemetery in Nebraska.
Clatonia, was incorporated as a village in 1893 after the land was donated by the Steinmeyer family. It was named for the Claytonia Creek which flows nearby.
Cortland, was founded in 1884 along the Union Pacific route. It was named after a railroad official after Courtland, New York. The spelling was later changed.
Filley, was named in honor of Elijah Filley who donated the land in 1882. The stone barn, built in 1874, is still standing two miles miles southwest of Filley and is part of the Gage County Historical Society's properties.
Liberty, was nicknamed "Stringtown" because of the way the town grew up around the railroad. Although this area was settled as early as 1855, the town was not developed until the railroad came through in the 1880's. During the building of the railroad there were at times 400-500 railroad workers besides the residents in the town.
Odell, was founded in 1880 and named in honor of LeGrand Odell, an early settler. Mr. Odell sold part of his land to the Burlington Railroad to supply them with a place for a depot, tracks and other buildings.
Pickrell, was originally known as Austin and was located a little further east of the present site. Two early settlers, John Pickrell and Edward Austin operated a mill at this location. In 1884 when the town site was laid out, higher on the hill, the name was changed to Pickrell.
Virginia, was named in honor of Virginia Lewis Dalby whose father, Mr. Lewis, was a large land owner in Gage and Pawnee counties.
Wymore, was founded when the Burlington Railroad was turned down by Blue Springs to build their railway center there. The railroad offered Blue Springs a deal in which the town would provide the land for a depot, business buildings, tracks and a round house. In return, the railroad would help the growth of the town by providing good transportation in both directions. In 1881 Wymore was established when Samuel Wymore donated the sotheast section of his land to the Burlington Railroad. Wymore experienced rapid growth and became the headquarters for the Wymore division of Burlington.
The Elijah Filley Stone Barn is located two miles southwest of Filley, Nebraska (12 miles east of Beatrice on US Highway 136). Built in 1874, this four-story barn is the oldest limestone barn in Nebraska. In 1874 the farmers had two summers of drought, grasshopper invasion, and crop failure and many farmers were packing up and heading back east. Those that remained needed work. Elijah Filley chose this time to build his barn. The news that Filley was building a stone barn spread fast. Men came from all over the area looking for work. The stone for the barn was hauled from near Rockford and the lumber was hauled by ox team from Nebraska City. The barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Palmer-Epard Cabin -- located on Homestead National Monument -- was built in 1867 on a nearby homestead. The dwelling was constructed of mized hardwoods (oak, hackberry, ash, locust, walnut, and elm) and homemade bricks set in lime mortar. It was occupied consecutively by the Palmer and Epard families, then moved to Homestead National Monument in 1950. Today, the cabin is furnished to depict life in the 1880's.
Freeman School, also located on Homestead National Monument, was the oldest operating one-room schoolhouse in Nebraska until it was closed in 1967. Some of Daniel and Agnes Freeman's children were educated here. It has been restored to its appearance in 1890.
We invite you to explore the county's rich historical heritage. If you have any historical information, photographs, maps or other material suitable for inclusion on this site, please contact the Gage County Historical Society. Click on Gage County Museum for more information.